Freier, Brown Pave Way For South Sumter Victory

October 4, 1986|By Alan Schmadtke of The Sentinel Staff

Bushnell South Sumter High School wound up its running game Friday night and sent Mount Dora High reeling, 24-6, in a Class AA, District 5 game.

The Raiders (2-1, 2-0), who had two weeks to prepare for the second-ranked Hurricanes (2-1, 2-1), used running backs Mark Freier and Charles Brown to tame Mount Dora's defense and keep the ball away from a vaunted Mount Dora offense.

''We looked like we had never seen the Wishbone before,'' Mount Dora Coach Hal Cuddy said. ''We played it very poorly.''

South Sumter harassed Mount Dora quarterback Robert Kelly into throwing four interceptions. A substitute quarterback threw a fifth, as the Raiders won their sixth of the last seven against Mount Dora.

South Sumter did the bulk of its damage in the first half. The Raiders scored on two of their first three possessions, running right at the Hurricanes, and then added a late field goal for a 17-0 halftime lead.

First, the Raiders took advantage of good field position. After punter Eric Studebaker backed the Hurricanes up to their 6, Mount Dora punted back.

Stevie Waters raced 18 yards to South Sumter's 27 with William Thompson's punt, setting up Charles Brown's TD sprint around left end on the first play from scrimmage. Shannon Burdine's extra point made it 7-0.

Trailing, Mount Dora turned to the pass and burned itself. Larry Maier intercepted a pass by Robert Kelly intended for Jessie Stewart at the Hurricanes' 42.

South Sumter drove to the 24, from where Brian Simmons completed a fourth- and-5 pass to Brown to the 16. Fullback Mark Freier carried three times and scored from the 4. Burdine's conversion made it 14-0 with 10:30 left in the half.

The Raiders added three more points with 26 seconds remaining in the half as Burdine kicked a 23-yard field goal, set up by a 30-yard, third-down conversion from Simmons to Joey Harrelson.

It could have been worse for Mount Dora. With South Sumter ahead, 14-0, Raiders running back Rodney McCook put the Raiders into scoring position again with a 41-yard run to Mount Dora's 24. Freier got a first down at the 13, but McCook fumbled into the end zone two players later, and Mount Dora's Charles Ellison recovered for a touchback.

Mount Dora mustered some momentum early in the second half but could not keep it. The Hurricanes blocked a South Sumter punt and got the ball at the Raiders' 11, and Charles Ellison scored from the 4.